Hair loss due to stress, so sad

[JohnnyMcGrathSaysFuckOff]

H and I have been through quite a bad time in last year. It has been horribly stressful.

My hair has never been my best feature but a few months ago it started falling out. It now looks okay, ish, if washed and styled, but visibly thin if at all greasy or just "stuck back" quickly 😟

I am really tempted by Hair + Me.

Is there anything else anyone has taken that works?

I am 46 and just scared it will never grow back.

Go to the gp, they can help. Hair and me have amazing reviews but you can probably get better and more targeted care with a dr

Maybe take some magnesium to help you relax. And also have a head, neck and shoulder massage to relax your scalp, neck and jaw.

I really don't think an NHS GP would bother about hair loss, would they? It's basically cosmetic.

Does magnesium promote hair regrowth?

I'm currently taking biotin to promote hair growth after chemo. I can't be sure it's making a difference as, although it's growing back, it would be anyway but it might be worth your trying. I agree it would be worth a trip to your GP.

Go to the GP. I thought my hair loss was due to stress. Two years later I discovered that it was due to skin allergies. By then the allergic reactions had killed the follicles and the hair loss was permanent. Had I gone to the doctor earlier, the reaction could have been treated with steroids and the hair loss stopped or reversed.

They can and do, I know someone taking regain

Assuming it is stress. Could be hormone imbalance, allergy, fungal infection

I think this kind of hair loss grows back. I had terrible hair loss a few months after I had an illness. It did stop and my hair recovered

Low ferritin was causing my significant hair loss. Addressed that and it’s now definitely growing back!

It 'might' be stress related, but a GP could also run blood tests to check its not an organic cause from a medical condition or deficiency. Aneamia, thyroid, peri, diabetes, Vit D deficiency etc could also be a cause. Have you also lost weight last year/this year? That too can make you lose hair. I personally wouldn't start taking any hair supplements/vitamins until you have ruled out other conditions.

I take Minoxidil but you need to get your ferratin and iron levels checked

I think your GP might agree to do blood tests so you could find out if you are low in Iron for example.

Your results should be available in the NHS app or you could ask for a print out. Then you would be able to see even if your results are normal if you are very low in the range. The app or paper print out gives the target range as well as your result.

Huh, okay.

You have convinced me! Utterly randomly I have a GP appt tomorrow so I will ask then if it is something they would help with (during another appointment).

Make sure you ask specifically for blood tests to rule out a deficiency. If they refer you to anyone that might take a long time so get those blood tests in hand in the mean time.

Thanks! No, not lost weight, I am a steady/ healthy weight around 22.5/23 bmi. Doubt I am diabetic but other stuff like peri might be a cause!

Also (just checking) could your unrelated appointment tomorrow be related (e.g. a sign of a deficiency) such as breathlessness, pins and needles etc.

Okay, I will!

I do not think I am anaemic as no other symptoms but cannot hurt to check.

Thank you but no, I have a very mild skin condition and no one has looked at it for 10y, it can in extreme cases lead to skin cancer so they are just having a look.

No, but it helps relaxation. And, from my experience, when one is uptight, the scalp gets tense and blocks off blood flow and the hair falls out. There could be other, medical reasons as well, which I'm NOT qualified to talk about, but tensioadds to hair loss.

the blood test is also a good idea!

Quick update, I did order from Hair + Me but also asked GP about hair loss and she straight away ordered blood test in case of low ferritin.

I normally go to GP about once every 5y so had honestly never occurred to me to raise with a medic!

Yes, I had Telogen Effluvium for several months until around February this year. My hair is still not as thick as it was but I think it is starting to regrow. In my case it manifested as many knots and tangles which would fall out when I tried to untangle them gently.

There are plenty of potential causes for this, it's not just cosmetic. Your GP might refer you to a dermatologist or a trichologist - in fact you can probably self refer.